Today's Semiconductors Pulse
SMIC clears final hurdle for $5.97B takeover of SMNC
China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) secured regulatory approval to acquire the remaining 49 % of its Beijing‑based unit SMNC, valuing the stake at 40.6 billion yuan (≈$5.97 bn). The transaction will be funded by issuing 547.2 million A‑shares at ¥74.20 ($10.91) each, with a 12‑month lock‑up for sellers, making SMNC a wholly‑owned subsidiary.
Alchip’s Leadership in ASIC Innovation: Advancing Toward 2nm Semiconductor Technology
Alchip Technologies announced a dedicated 2nm ASIC design platform and completed a successful 2nm test‑chip tape‑out featuring its AP‑Link‑3D interface. The platform supports 2.5D and 3D chiplet integration, enabling high‑performance, power‑efficient silicon for AI and high‑performance computing workloads. By adopting gate‑all‑around nanosheet transistors, Alchip aims to deliver higher density and better performance per watt. These milestones position Alchip as a front‑runner in the race to commercialize 2nm custom ASICs for data‑center hyperscalers.
EPC Space Adds EPC7C010 and EPC7C011 Half-Bridge Buck Platforms for High-Rel and Rad-Hard Applications
EPC Space announced two new half‑bridge buck evaluation boards, the EPC7C010 (100 V/20 A) and EPC7C011 (200 V/10 A), built around radiation‑hardened eGaN HEMTs and isolated gate drivers. Both platforms are optimized for 350 kHz operation but can run from 50 kHz to 1.5 MHz, delivering peak...
Powering AI at Scale: How HVDC and GaN Are Transforming Hyperscale Data Centers
AI workloads are pushing XPU power consumption from roughly 1‑1.5 kW today to over 5 kW by 2030. To handle the surge, hyperscale data centers are replacing traditional AC‑DC‑AC distribution with high‑voltage direct current (HVDC) architectures, using ±400 V or 800 V DC links....
SEC Develops Inline X-Ray Inspection Tool for HBM Production
SEC Co. has completed development of the Semi‑Scan‑SW, an automated inline X‑ray inspection system for high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) production. The tool detects internal defects as small as 3‑5 µm across HBM stacking, through‑glass‑via (TGV) and wafer‑level packaging (WLP) processes. SEC will...
(PR) SEMI Projects Double-Digit Growth in Global 300 Mm Fab Equipment Spending for 2026 and 2027
SEMI’s latest 300 mm Fab Outlook projects worldwide fab equipment spending to jump 18% to $133 billion in 2026 and 14% to $151 billion in 2027, marking the first time the market exceeds $150 billion. The surge is driven by exploding AI chip demand...
Evaluating Memory Hog Cycles in the AI Era
The article revisits the classic memory‑hog cycle—where surging demand fuels price spikes, capacity expands, and oversupply triggers crashes—through the lens of today’s AI boom. It highlights that AI accelerators now consume roughly 70% of high‑end DRAM, pushing memory prices up...
(PR) Intel to Repurchase 49% Equity Interest in Ireland Fab Joint Venture
Intel announced it will repurchase the 49% equity interest in the Fab 34 joint venture in Ireland from Apollo for $14.2 billion. The stake was originally sold to Apollo‑managed funds in 2024 for $11.2 billion, giving Intel equity‑like capital while preserving balance‑sheet strength....
CapEx Up for Foundry, Memory
Semiconductor Intelligence projects total industry capital spending to reach $200 billion in 2026, a 20% rise from 2025 and outpacing market growth. TSMC remains the largest spender, targeting $52‑$56 billion, while most other foundries stay flat except GlobalFoundries’ 70% increase. Elon Musk’s...
(PR) NVIDIA Invests $2 Billion in Marvell and Expanded NVLink Fusion Partnership
NVIDIA announced a $2 billion investment in Marvell Technology and an expanded NVLink Fusion partnership. The deal links Marvell’s silicon to NVIDIA’s AI factory and AI‑RAN ecosystem, giving customers broader options for next‑generation infrastructure. Both companies will also co‑develop silicon‑photonic solutions....
Silvaco Expands Partnership with APEC on Silicon Carbide Power Device Development
Silvaco Group announced an expanded strategic partnership with Taiwan's Advanced Power Electronics Corp (APEC) to deepen the use of its Victory Device, Gateway, and SmartSpice simulation tools. The collaboration gives APEC broader access to Silvaco's TCAD and EDA solutions, aiming...
Raspberry Pi Announces More Price Hikes, 3 GB Raspberry Pi 4 SKU
Raspberry Pi announced another price increase after a seven‑fold rise in LPDDR4 DRAM costs, affecting all 4 GB and larger models of the Pi 4 and Pi 5. Prices for these SKUs will climb between $25 and $100, pushing the 16 GB Pi 5 to...
Apple Expands U.S. Chip Supply Chain with New Partner Investments
Apple announced a $400 million investment with U.S. suppliers Bosch, Cirrus Logic, TDK and Qnity Electronics to broaden domestic chip production, extending its broader $600 billion manufacturing plan. TDK will start U.S. sensor component fabrication for smartphone cameras, while Bosch will produce...
Kioxia to Phase Out Older NAND Flash Products
Japanese memory maker Kioxia announced it will discontinue a range of older NAND flash products built on 32 nm, 24 nm and 15 nm process nodes, including floating‑gate and BiCS FLASH gen.3 devices. The phase‑out covers SLC, MLC and TLC variants in wafer, BGA, TSOP,...
(PR) ASUS Announces UGen300 USB AI Accelerator
ASUS unveiled the UGen300 USB AI Accelerator, its first AI‑focused USB device powered by Hailo’s 10H processor delivering 40 AI TOPS. The compact 105 × 50 × 18 mm module packs 8 GB of LPDDR4 memory and draws only 2.5 W via a USB‑C interface. It offers plug‑and‑play compatibility...
(PR) AI Compute Demand Drives 44% YoY Growth for Top 10 Global Fabless IC Firms in 2025
AI compute demand propelled the top ten global fabless IC designers to $359.4 billion in 2025, a 44 % year‑over‑year increase. NVIDIA led the pack with $205.7 billion revenue, accounting for 57 % of the group’s total, while Broadcom rose to second place thanks...
Aehr Gains Initial Order From New Silicon Photonics Transceiver Customer
Semiconductor test equipment maker Aehr Test Systems announced an initial order from a major, unnamed networking supplier developing silicon‑photonic transceivers for hyperscale AI and cloud data centers. The order includes several FOX‑XP wafer‑level burn‑in systems capable of testing nine wafers...
Secure at First Silicon: Reducing Cost and Risk
Side‑channel leakage often surfaces only after first silicon, forcing expensive redesigns. The Inspector Pre‑Silicon framework embeds side‑channel analysis into RTL and gate‑level verification, generating test vectors and statistical metrics to identify leakage early. By providing actionable, module‑level insights throughout the...
Revolutionary New DDR Standards Expected
The article reviews the historical scaling limits of DDR DRAM and highlights that DDR5 now supports only one DIMM per channel, a trend that may continue with DDR6. Industry insiders speculate that DDR7 could eliminate DIMMs entirely, dramatically reducing bus...
Telink TL3228 – Low-Power, Low-Latency Dual-Core RISC-V Wireless MCU Supports Bluetooth 6.0, 802.15.4, and 2.4 GHz Proprietary
Telink introduced the TL3228, the first chip in its TL322x wireless MCU family, featuring a 192 MHz dual‑core RISC‑V processor and support for Bluetooth 6.0, Matter, Thread, Zigbee, RF4CE, and a proprietary 2.4 GHz radio. The MCU offers up to 6 Mbps data rates,...
Advanced Nodes to Dominate 2026 SoC Shipments
Advanced nodes (5nm and below) accounted for over 50% of smartphone SoC shipments in 2025 and are projected to reach nearly 60% in 2026, according to Counterpoint Research. Samsung debuted its 2nm Exynos 2600 in the Galaxy S26, while Apple,...
Arrow Electronics Launches Omnichannel Platform for Components Business
Arrow Electronics has unified its global components business under a redesigned, omnichannel arrow.com platform, retiring the legacy MyArrow portal. The new site merges product selection, purchasing, services, and account management into a single digital workflow. It also embeds direct access...
Arm’s First-Ever Silicon Products Targeted at AI Data Centers
Arm Holdings has launched the Arm AGI CPU, its first production silicon product aimed at AI data‑center workloads. The chip packs up to 136 Neoverse V3 cores, a 300‑watt TDP and can deliver more than twice the rack performance of...
Nvidia‑Marvell Tie‑up Could Lock Supply Chain via Custom XPU Racks
Per the $NVDA + $MRVL investment... I do wonder if this also opens the door to $NVDA selling CPU racks to custom XPUs made by $MRVL for hyperscale customers. Obvsiously, it does help them lock up more parts of the...
MediaTek's Decade-Long Data Center XPU Efforts Unveiled
Getting into the guts of @MediaTek data center/custom XPU details but this slide is informative of market work they have been doing in this space since 2011. Expecting more details on SerDes, advanced packaging, fabric, and their networking capabilities. https://t.co/OWT2MbypXK
DRAM Price Rally Pauses in March, Seen Resuming in Second Quarter
The year‑long rally in DRAM prices paused in March as pre‑negotiated contracts locked the average 8 Gb DDR4 price at $13, ending 11 months of double‑digit growth. First‑quarter DRAM prices still surged 100‑115% versus the prior quarter, reflecting strong demand. TrendForce...
Supply Chain Memory Issues Set to Worsen Next Year
Came across some interesting things from supply chain friendlies on memory. And... Not going to get better anytime soon. Next year will be worse than this year.
Telechips Advances Network Gateway Chip Business, Seeks Global Customers
Telechips is accelerating its network gateway chip business, launching proof‑of‑concept projects with select global customers as it seeks a profitability turnaround. The company is simultaneously expanding AI‑integrated automotive semiconductor offerings for ADAS and autonomous driving, while upgrading its in‑vehicle infotainment...
POET Technologies Q4 2025: Reading Past the Headline Loss
POET Technologies reported a Q4 2025 net loss of $42.7 million on $341 k revenue, yet its stock jumped 16.9% to $5.94 after the release. The loss was dominated by a $30.6 million non‑cash fair‑value adjustment on CAD‑denominated warrants and a $6.85 million accounting...
The $2 Billion Nvidia Deal With Marvell Is About A Lot More Than NVLink Fusion
Nvidia is investing another $2 billion in Marvell, extending a series of multi‑billion‑dollar bets aimed at shaping the AI datacenter supply chain. The partnership will have Marvell produce custom XPUs and NVLink Fusion‑compatible networking, leveraging its recent acquisition of XConn’s high‑bandwidth PCIe...
New ZEISS Crossbeam 750 FIB-SEM for High-Accuracy Sample Preparation Workflows
ZEISS introduced the Crossbeam 750 FIB‑SEM, a focused ion beam‑scanning electron microscope optimized for high‑accuracy sample preparation. The system features Gemini 4 electron optics and a high‑dynamic‑range Mill + SEM that provides a live, high‑resolution SEM view during any milling condition, enabling real‑time endpoint...
SK Hynix Orders Hybrid Bonding Equipment From Applied Materials and Besi
South Korean memory maker SK hynix has ordered a hybrid bonding inline system co‑developed by Applied Materials and BE Semiconductor Industries, valued at roughly 20 billion won. The equipment combines CMP and plasma modules with Besi’s die‑bonder, enabling mass‑production of next‑generation...
Metallium Announces Off-Take Agreement with Indium Corp for Critical & Precious Metals Including Gallium and Germanium
Metallium Ltd's US arm, Flash Metals USA, has signed a long‑term off‑take agreement with Indium Corp to purchase recovered gallium, germanium, copper, tin, gold and indium from Metallium's recycling operations. The contract runs for an initial ten years with automatic...
Mobilint Seeks to Supply NPU Chips for Shinsegae AI Checkout Systems
South Korean AI chip startup Mobilint has completed silicon proof‑of‑concept validation for its second‑generation NPU, Regulus, developed for Shinsegae Group’s AI‑powered checkout kiosks. The chip, fabricated on TSMC’s 12‑nm process, is slated for mass production in the second quarter and...
Samsung Electronics Adopts Hybrid Bonding Inspection Equipment
Samsung Electronics is rolling out hybrid bonding inspection equipment, partnering with Onto Innovation’s picosecond laser ultrasound system that is already being validated on mass‑production lines. The joint development targets detection of microscopic voids and overlay errors in high‑bandwidth memory (HBM)...
Rebellions Raises 640 Billion Won in Pre-IPO Round as First Korea National Growth Fund Pick
South Korean AI chip designer Rebellions Inc. closed a 640 billion won pre‑IPO funding round, valuing the company at 3.4 trillion won. The round, led by the state‑backed Korea National Growth Fund with 250 billion won, also included contributions from KDB and Mirae...
Causal Inference for AMS Design (U. Of Florida)
University of Florida researchers released a technical paper introducing a causal‑inference framework for analog‑mixed‑signal (AMS) circuit design. The method builds a directed‑acyclic graph from SPICE simulation data and estimates average treatment effects (ATE) to rank design parameters. Tested on three...
Latest Issue of Semiconductor Today Now Available
Semiconductor Today’s March 2026 issue spotlights rapid advances in compound semiconductors, noting a projected market size of roughly $5.2 bn by 2031 growing at a 14% CAGR. The publication highlights the ALP‑4‑SiC project for quantum photonic circuits, new growth methods for...
Phase-Shift Control ICs Squeeze More Efficiency From Resonant Converters
STMicroelectronics has launched two phase‑shift control ICs, the STNRG599A and STNRG599B, targeting resonant‑converter power supplies and lighting drivers. The devices operate up to 750 kHz, provide zero‑voltage switching, and improve no‑load efficiency while offering built‑in safety features such as X‑capacitor discharge...
Memory Market Still On Track for $200 B
Will do a memory market update next week. But in the meantime. Nothing has changed since this report a month ago. Memory still on track to ~$200B https://t.co/QSHAd1OxK2
Fujitsu Plans Dedicated 1.4nm AI Chip Manufactured Entirely in Japan by Rapidus — AI Chip to Be Designed and Manufactured...
Fujitsu announced plans to develop a dedicated AI inference NPU using Rapidus' 1.4 nm process, with an estimated development cost of ¥58 billion (about $363 million). The project, funded roughly two‑thirds by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, will be designed...
RISC-V Now! — Where Specification Meets Scale!
RISC‑V Now! is a Silicon Valley conference designed to turn the open RISC‑V instruction set architecture into shipped products at scale. The event attracted roughly 600 semiconductor professionals from more than 250 companies, including industry giants such as Apple, Google,...
Kioxia Discontinues 2D NAND Products, Last Shipments to Be Made in 2028 — 1980s Planar NAND Memory Reaches End of...
Kioxia announced it will cease production of all 2D (planar) NAND flash and its third‑generation BiCS 3D NAND, with final shipments scheduled for December 31 2028. The phase‑out covers legacy 32nm, 24nm and 15nm planar nodes as well as early 64‑layer BiCS3...
Quantum Diamonds Expands to Asia
QuantumDiamonds GmbH announced Peter Lemmens as Managing Director Asia, coinciding with the launch of a new regional hub in Taiwan. The hire leverages Lemmens' 25‑year semiconductor leadership and deep Taiwan network to accelerate adoption of the company’s quantum‑diamond microscopy (QDM)...
Toradex OSM and Lino SoMs – 30×30mm NXP i.MX 93/i.MX 91 Modules with Solder-Down or B2B Connector Designs
Toradex introduced two ultra‑compact 30 × 30 mm System‑on‑Module families, OSM and Lino, built around NXP i.MX 91 and i.MX 93 processors for edge industrial and IoT use cases. OSM follows the OSM Size‑S standard with a 332‑ball LGA that is soldered directly to a...
Light Bends Perovskite Crystal Lattice, Opening Way to New Devices
Researchers at UC Davis have demonstrated that halide perovskite crystals undergo rapid, reversible lattice distortions when illuminated, a phenomenon termed photostriction. Using laser excitation and X‑ray probing, they showed the effect can be tuned by adjusting the crystal composition, light wavelength,...
Apple M5 Max MacBooks Are Getting Surprisingly Close to Real Gaming PCs
Apple’s latest M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are closing the performance gap with dedicated gaming PCs. Benchmarks by YouTuber Andrew Tsai show the M5 Pro delivering roughly 60 fps in upscaled 1440p on titles like Cyberpunk 2077, while the 40‑core M5 Max sustains similar frame rates...
AOI Receives New Order for 800G Data-Center Transceivers From Major Hyperscale Customer
Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (AOI) secured a volume order exceeding $53 million from a major hyperscale customer for 800‑gigabit single‑mode data‑center transceivers. The order supports AI‑driven GPU clusters and will be shipped between Q2 and mid‑Q3 2026 after product qualification. AOI’s CEO highlighted...
Nanya Raises $2.5 Bln, Signs DRAM Supply Deals with Kioxia and SanDisk
Nanya Technology raised roughly $2.5 billion via share sales and private placements to expand its DRAM production capacity. Kioxia invested T$15.6 billion for a 2 % equity stake and a long‑term DRAM supply agreement, while SanDisk committed T$31 billion and signed a multi‑year supply...
Intel Announces The "Optimization Zone"
Intel unveiled the Optimization Zone, a GitHub‑hosted repository that consolidates performance tuning guides and best‑practice recipes for Intel data‑center hardware. The hub currently includes optimization recipes for workloads such as Apache Kafka, Cassandra, Redis, and Spark, and provides BIOS tunables,...
T-Display-P4 Smartphone-Like Devkit Features ESP32-P4 MCU, ESP32-C6 Wireless SoC, and SX1262/LR2021 LoRa Transceiver
LILYGO has launched the T‑Display‑P4, a smartphone‑sized development kit that pairs the new ESP32‑P4 RISC‑V MCU with an ESP32‑C6 Wi‑Fi 6/BT 5.x module and optional SX1262 or LR2021 LoRa transceiver. The board offers a 4‑inch TFT or AMOLED screen, 2 MP camera, 32 MB...